The family story that it was made before 1890 seems fairly unlikely because the fabrics look later. The caption says it was made by Margaret Henrietta Baird Camp and donated by her granddaughter, who passed on the family name for the design:

The caption reads:
"In the South, the pattern was called 'The Whig’s Defeat'. In the North it was known as “Democratic Victory".

Interesting? Those names for this pattern haven't been recorded.

I looked it up in BlockBase where it is #3807

The pattern has a lot of published names, beginning

in about 1890 when the Ladies' Art Company sold it as Dutch Rose.

Eccentric Star and Octagonal Star are other often used names.

The design was popular in the 20th century and you see

related patterns going back to the mid-19th-century.

This one with squares in the corners looks to be Civil-War-era. It's BlockBase #3809,

which also has many published names

Carpenter's Star is common

but it's also published as Knickerbocker Star

and Black Diamond.

It's just not known as Whig's Defeat. Could the donor or the museum have mixed up some labels?

Confusing it with a quilt similar to this, which

Florence Peto published as Democrat's Fancy or Whig's Defeat in 1941.

A simple mix-up in quilts and the family name happens every once in a while but the major question I have is how did the page and the pattern come to be called Confederate's Defeat?

"100 Year old quilt is hand pieced and quilted . Pattern is Confederate defeat or

Saturday, December 7, 2013

A pinwheel
represents the end of the Morgan women’s travels through Confederate Louisiana. The Secesh women spent the rest of the war
in Union New Orleans.

New Orleans, 1864

Sarah and
her mother decided to seek shelter at brother Philip's home. After crossing Lake Pontchartrain in a schooner
they were greeted at the dock by a group of Union soldiers who asked them to swear the
hated oath, a pledge of U.S. citizenship.

April 22,
1863 New Orleans

"[The officer in charge] uncovered his head and told us to hold up our right hands. Half-crying, I covered
my face with mine and prayed breathlessly for the boys
and the Confederacy, so that I heard not a word he was saying until the
question, "So help you God?" struck my ear. I shuddered
and prayed harder. There came an awful pause in which not a lip was moved. Each
felt as though in a nightmare, until, throwing
down his blank book, the officer pronounced it "All right!" Strange
to say, I experienced no change. I prayed as hard as ever for the
boys and our country, and felt no nasty or disagreeable feeling which would
have announced the process of turning Yankee….

Taking the Oath in New Orleans

He turned to
[Mother] and asked if she was ready to take the oath. "I suppose I have
to, since I belong to you," she replied. "No,madam, you
are not obliged; we force no one. Can you state your objections?"
"Yes, I have three sons fighting against you, and you have
robbed me, beggared me!" she exclaimed, launching into a speech in which
Heaven knows what she did not say; there was little
she left out, from her despoiled house to her sore hand, both of which she
attributed to the at first amiable man, who was rapidly
losing all patience. Faint with hunger, dizzy with sleeplessness, she had
wrought on her own feelings until her nerves were beyond control. She was determined to carry it out, and crying and
sobbing went through with it."

Now that Sarah is in Union-occupied New Orleans we will leave her in the summer of 1863. This

is our last block. But look for the end of the story soon.

Cutting a 12" Block

A C 4 rectangles 9-3/8" (9-5/16" if you use the 1/16th" default) x 2-5/8".

Trim the ends at a 45 degree angle now or wait till the block is finished to trim.

B Cut 1 square 4-1/4" (4-3/16" if you use the 1/16th" default).
Cut into 4 triangles with 2 cuts.

You need 4 triangles.

C Cut 1 square 7 1/4".(7-3/16" if you use the 1/16th" default). Cut into 4 triangles with 2 cuts.

You
need 4 triangles.

D Cut 4 rectangles 4-3/4" x 2-5/8".

Cutting an 8" Block

A C 4 rectangles 6-1/2" x 1-7/8" (1-15/16" if you use the 1/16th" default).

Trim the ends at a 45 degree angle now or wait till the block is finished to trim. See above.

B Cut 1 square 3-1/4" (3-3/16" if you use the 1/16th" default). Cut into 4 triangles with 2 cuts.

You need 4 triangles.

C Cut 1 square 5-1/4".(5-3/16" if you use the 1/16th" default). Cut into 4 triangles with 2 cuts.

Saturday, November 30, 2013

We are going to do another free online Block of the Month on this blog on the theme of the Civil War for the year 2104.

The theme Threads of Memory refers to the Underground Railroad. Each month you'll get a block named

for an important place in the story of the network that assisted slaves on the road to freedom. We'll explore true stories of people who lived in slavery, escaped on the "Liberty Line" or helped the fugitives.

The twelve blocks will finish to 12" and each is an original pieced design for a star block.

(No applique!)

YOU DON'T SIGN UP. I'll post the block instructions here. But you might want to sign up on the left here

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